Who originally said "Games to remember happen in November"

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Request for Question Clarification by juggler-ga on 17 Nov 2003 13:34 PST

I ran the quote through a newspaper database available through my
local public library.  The earliest use of the phrase that I could
find was from 1985.  The person credited was a fairly well-known
college coach (who now works for an NFL team).  I have no guarantee
that the phrase originated with this person, but if you're interested
in this information, let me know.

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Clarification of Question by timoth-ga on 21 Nov 2003 13:43 PST

Sure ... I am interested in that information.  Thanks

Hello.

An item in the Los Angeles Times, January 5, 1985, credited the phrase
to Terry Donahue, then UCLA's head coach and now GM of the S.F. 49ers.

'UCLA Coach Terry Donahue has said: "The games they remember are
played in November.'
source: 
The Los Angeles Times, January 5, 1985, page 3.


Whether Donahue coined the phrase himself is unclear, but he seems to
have used it regularly.  I found another reference to his (and the
other UCLA coaches') use of the phrase in 1992.

Here's an excerpt from the Orange County Register quoting a UCLA player:

' "But then our coaches got after us the next week," Littleton said.
"They kept saying, `Remember November. The games they remember are in
November.' "'
source: Orange County Register: Nov 22, 1992.  pg. c.01

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In 1999, former Washington coach Rick Neuheisel described the phrase
as "an old adage in the Pac-10."

' "There's an old adage in the Pac-10," Neuheisel said. "The games
they remember are played in November."'
source: SeattlePI.com, October 30, 1999
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/huskies/husk31.shtml


So is it an old adage of the Pac-10, possibly coined by Terry Donahue?  

Maybe. Maybe not.

Several published sources credit Jim Sweeney, former coach at Fresno
State, as the creator of the phrase.

'Former Fresno State coach Jim Sweeney once coined a phrase that would
fit in very well in the Mountain West Conference this year.
It was, "The games you remember are in November."'
source:
Las Vegas Sun, Nov. 14, 2003
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/births/2003/nov/14/515860106.html

'Fresno State coach Pat Hill frequently brings up the favorite line of
former Bulldog head coach Jim Sweeney, who used to say that, "November
are the games you remember."'
source: 
CBS SportsLine NCAAchampionships.com
http://www.ncaachampionships.com/collegefootball/teams/report/FRE/6846972

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search strategy
"games * remember", "in november"
library newspaper database

I hope this helps.

Excellent ...

Thank you for the tip.
-juggler